County approves land annexation agreement to the Town of Strathmore

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Wheatland County council approved the annexation of approximately 168 acres of land by the Town of Strathmore.

Council voted in favour of the agreement during the March 26 special meeting after receiving an update by administration.

The Town of Strathmore issued a notice, July 8, 2025, of their intention to annex 489 acres from Wheatland County under the Municipal Government Act. 

At the time, the town agreed to interest-based negotiations regarding the proposed annexation, including financial reports, roads, and taxation, among other concerns. 

Following negotiations, the annexation area was reduced from 489 acres to 168 acres. 

The Town of Strathmore debated and approved the annexation agreement during their March 18 meeting.

County administration noted it was their view that the agreement as presented appropriately addressed financial, infrastructure, and governance considerations associated with the proposed annexation.

As part of the annexation, the town will acquire approximately a half mile of range road 254 south of Highway 1, and one mile of township road 242 from the current town boundary to range road 254.

Addressing an inquiry from Reeve Scott Klassen, the county recently approved repairs to Range Road 254 within the annexation area. The county will not be able to receive reimbursement for those repairs from the Town of Strathmore due to the expense being incurred from internal resources.

Through any would-be legal counsel, the county would be required to submit invoices from tendering, which for said repairs, it would not be able to produce.

Once the annexation is approved by the Land and Property Rights Tribunal, the town would adopt an effective ownership of the land as of Jan. 1, 2026. 

The town is now to submit an annexation application to the Land and Property Rights Tribunal by March 31.

As a reflection of financial impacts to the county as a result of the annexation, the town will compensate in the amount of $15,500 within 60 days of the application approval. This represents three years of impact to the county being reimbursed.

From the effective date onward, the Town of Strathmore will be responsible for improvements and assessments regarding the lands and roads acquired, as well as assuming responsibility for taxation. 

Both the town and the county are committing to providing records and information necessary to support the annexation and application processes. 

There is currently no estimated timeline regarding when the Land and Property Rights Tribunal would provide the necessary approval.